After son's death, Warrens start fund for mentally ill

Apr. 9, 2013
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Pastor Rick Warren poses at the PEACE Center during its construction in 2011 at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. The center provides services for low-income families including medical help, counseling, tutoring and food. / Scott Tokar, Saddleback Church

by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY

by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY

Pastor Rick Warren, founder of one of nation's largest churches, and his wife, Kay, said Tuesday that funeral services for their son, Matthew, will be private.

And, in the wake of their 27-year-old son's suicide after a lifetime suffering from depression, the couple has established the Matthew Warren Fund for Mental Illness and set up a blog site to accept contributions to "others affected by mental illness."

Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif, southeast of Los Angeles, which is the center of a network of seven California worship campuses. He preached to more than 52,000 people over the course of 12 services Easter weekend. He is also the author of the handbook on Christian living, The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold 30 million copies.

The Saddleback blog site points out that "no building in Orange County is large enough to hold an open memorial service," but people are encouraged to express "encouraging words" or stories about Matthew on Warren's Facebook page. Warren writes there:

"Your kind words and sensitive notes to Kay and me have been such a blessing and encouragement. Many are asking about a funeral, and our family decided on a simple private memorial. Please continue to pray for the entire family."

Social media have not been entirely kind to the Warrens. Since news of Matthew's suicide became public late Saturday, some have turned to Facebook and Twitter to attack Rick Warren for his political stands against same-sex marriage and for his preaching.